"That Message Was for Me" – India Television Ministry

"That Message Was for Me"

Young Man Brought To Christ through JFA Television Ministry in India

Jeeva was depressed. Even though he was a young man with a good education, he felt like his life was over. He didn't want to do anything except sit in his house and watch TV.One day, as Jeeva was channel surfing, he saw something that shocked him. No, it wasn’t a dramatic car chase, a building exploding, or some government being overthrown, it was simply a man speaking. To be clear, it wasn’t the man himself that was shocking, it was what he was saying – “Don’t be worried; it’s not finished. It’s just the beginning” – It was as if the man was speaking directly to him. Though the man did not know Jeeva or what he was going through, he said exactly what Jeeva needed to hear.Captivated by the man’s words, Jeeva watched till the end of the program, and when it ended, he was moved to call the number on the screen. As he spoke with the woman who answered, he cried and told her “that message was for me.”

What was this program?

The show Jeeva watched that day was produced by JFA Television Ministry in India. The ministry airs Bible programs on two television channels in Tamil Nadu, South India. One smaller channel airs the ministry's programs once a day, while the other airs their programs once a week. This channel is a very popular Tamil language channel that broadcasts to around 75 million  Tamil speaking people in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, including people in areas with no Adventist presence.

The man Jeeva saw on TV that day is Israel, Jesus for Asia’s director for India. He is JFA Television Ministry's founder and host. The woman Jeeva spoke with on the phone is Israel’s mother. Israel and his mother both work to reach souls for Christ through the JFA Television Ministry. Israel’s mother keeps everyone inspired through her faithful prayers and hard work giving Bible studies to viewers.

A Changed Man

After that day, Jeeva continued to watch the JFA Television Ministry program and began Bible studies with one of the ministry’s volunteers. As he continued to watch and study, his whole life changed. He was no longer depressed and he even opened his own school to teach agriculture.

"Jesus has changed me;I only want Jesus."

Jeeva’s family began to notice the changes in his life. His father asked him what caused the change and Jeeva replied that it was Jesus. “Jesus has changed me,” he said, “I only want Jesus.” Jeeva eventually convinced his family to watch the program with him and they also started to believe.Jeeva’s father was so grateful for the changes in his son, that he traveled all night, around 500 km, to meet Israel and his mother, He thanked them for the program that allowed God to work in his son and change his life. “My son is changed by God through this TV program,” he said.

More new Believers

Now, Jeeva and two of his family members are ready to be baptized. And they aren’t the only ones. Thirteen others have been baptized because they learned about Jesus through the JFA Television Ministry. They are also giving 180+ Bible studies a week to television ministry viewers.

How amazing it is that the Lord can reach a suffering person just when they most need it and can turn their whole life around! And that change can bring others to Christ as well! We truly serve an incredible God! Please join us in praying that many more people will be reached by JFA Television Ministry programs so that their lives can be changed as well.

Please help us build a permanent TV Studio

Currently, the television ministry is filming inside of a local Seventh-day Adventist church. All their equipment is kept in a tiny closet, and they have to rebuild their set every time they film, because the church needs to use the space for Sabbath services and prayer meetings.The church that JFA Television Ministry is currently filming in has offered to let us build a small studio on their roof. This is a wonderful blessing because land in India is too expensive to build the studio in another location. $18,000 will allow us to build and equip the studio so the television ministry can better create programs to reach people like Jeeva.If you would like to support the construction of this studio, you can do so by clicking the donate button below. every gift helps!Here's a behind the scenes look at the JFA Television Ministry studio. They film each program in a local church. They have to set up and tear down their set every time they film so that the church can be used for Sabbath services and prayer meetingsFaithful volunteers answer calls from viewers, pray for them, and give Bible studies over the phone, sometimes even in the middle of the night!If you would like to read more miracle stories from the JFA Television Ministry, Click the link below!https://jesus4asia.org/india-tv-ministry-studio/